“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become
like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position
of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:3-4 (NIV)
During
previous readings of this verse, I’d been largely neutral and indifferent to
it. Perhaps due to my lack of opportunity with interacting with children, I had
no concept to build on. However during my past three months of interacting with
the beloved Pri 1 & 2 children of Sembawang FSC’s Student Care, I have had a
whole new insight to this verse. These three months of guiding them, I have only imparted mere academic knowledge, whereas what these angels have blessed me with,
is far more precious.
Ying
Rui is always very bold, maybe bordering on audacity. However, this stems from
his very clear vision of what is right and wrong, what specific things need to
be done. His confidence in this knowledge never wavers, doubt never creeps in.
I have nicknamed him, the Superhero.
Every
good superhero needs a good sidekick, and here comes in femme fatale Cheri. She
possesses that same distinction between right and wrong, but as there’s Ying
Rui to take on the main role of policing, she content to take a back seat most
of the time. This assurance of one’s self-worth without envy of other’s
limelight is such a gem.
Alyssa
is an attention seeker, always looking to me. Although I’ve worried about her independence
skills in the future as she matures, yet I’m also heartened at how comfortable
she is with her dependency on those she respects and looks up to. All sense of
pride does not exist in my dynamics with her.
In
class, there’ll always be a cheeky one, and here comes Zhi Wei. Yes, he yet
does not know how to prioritise his duties well, but he’s very capable of
delighting himself when having to plough through these otherwise drab and mundane
work. How many of us can claim not to harbor any bitterness and resentment
towards whatever unfavourables life throws at us? Just add in a dash of
discipline, and I’m sure he will be a great example to his younger sister En
Qi.
Carlynn is the underdog counter-example. Previously dismissed as sort of a hopeless
case, she has made remarkable progress through sheer grit against all
odds. Yes, academically, she definitely is still a far cry from the likes of
the Superhero, but her receptivity of encouragement and help, coupled with this
dogged perseverance at bettering herself, has shown me clearly what apostle Paul
meant by “I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the race, I have kept the faith”.
The
Beatitudes mentioned about “blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the
earth”, and this is the quiet Yong Liang at the corner. Despite how much he
needs help and attention, he always has the reticence not to vie for the little
time there is to go around in each session, always preferring to labour through own efforts first. However do not mistake this for sloth or cowardice, as
it is far from it. It is generousity that propels him to share precious time
with the rest of the class, showing the virtue of serving others before self.
Quite similarly, Jo
Yee demonstrates what it means to be patience and wait for the best timing.
Despite having completed her work far faster than her seniors, she is never anxious
or fretful to insist on being attended to immediately. She is very sharp at
spotting the exact moment and best person to approach.
Lastly,
I would like to conclude with Angel. I admit she is my personal favourite. I’m
unable to really concretise an outstanding virtue of hers relative to the rest,
not that she does not possess what the others have, just that in a lesser
capacity. However, what distinguishes her from all the rest is, despite how I'd mentioned that she pales in comparison to them, she possesses a carefree attitude, she does not worry, akin to what Solomon mentioned.
This is indeed what I’d needed to learn most, especially with the turn of other events that I have been encountering, and some more yet to come. She knows she
has done her best in her work, and she leaves the rest to me to mark and guide.
I
choose to look at this past three months as not a mere coincidence, but God
having a divine hand in introducing them to me. As Matthew 20:16 stated, that
the first shall be the last, and the last shall be the first. In their eyes, I
may seem to be the teacher Ms Tan who's teaching them. However, in actual fact they are the angels from God sent
to guide me along this rocky path for now. I am so grateful for what they have imparted me, without me needing ever to earn anything from them. Amen!
